THE READABILITY OF REFERENTIAL BOOK FOR EFL STUDENTS IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT
Abstract
Teachers frequently use textbooks as a media resource for instructional education purpose. A capability to understand a textbook being utilized is vital for students. However, the majority of research revealed that the textbooks used did not correspond to the actual level of students. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the textbook's readability level as well as any potential factors influencing its readability. This research employed a descriptive quantitative method to identify the textbook’s readability using the Miyazaki EFL Readability Index and students' judgments, as well as providing its readability factors. This study’s object included the Morphology textbook, and 36 English Language Education Department students batch 2021 at University of PGRI Adi Buana Surabaya. The first finding demonstrated that the textbook's readability using the Miyazaki EFL Readability Index had a very difficult readability level and best suited for graduate university students. The second finding showed that there were 68.52% of students or 25 students agree that the textbook was difficult to read. The third findings indicated that the percentage of factors affecting the textbook’s readability was 66.67% including the influence of reader factors (22.22%) and text factors (44.44%).
References
Afzal, N. (2019). A study on vocabulary-learning problems encountered by BA English majors at the university level of education. Arab World English Journal, 10(3), 81–98. https://doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol10no3.6
Bahtiar, E. T. (2015). Penulisan bahan ajar. Pelatihan Penyusunan Bahan Ajar Untuk Mendukung Pelaksanaan Tri Dharma Perguruan Tinggi, 1, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.1.1441.6083
Bailin, A., & Grafstein, A. (2016). Readability: Text and Context. Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137388773
Burton, R. S. (2014). Readability, logodiversity, and the effectiveness of college science textbooks. Bioscene, 40(1), 3–10. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1035554.pdf
Durwin, C. C., & Sherman, W. M. (2010). Does Choice of College Textbook Make a Difference in Student’s Comprehension? College Teaching, 56(1), 28–34. https://doi.org/10.3200/CTCH.56.1.28-34
Greenfield, J. (2004). Readability Formulas For EFL. JALT Journal, 26(1), 5. https://doi.org/10.37546/jaltjj26.1-1
Gyasi, W. K., & Slippe, D. P. (2019). Readability of English language textbooks for diploma students of the University of Cape Coast. International Journal of Research Studies in Language Learning, 8(1), 107–115. https://doi.org/10.5861/ijrsll.2019.3008
Hakim, A. A., Setyaningsih, E., & Cahyaningrum, D. (2021). Examining the readability level of reading texts in English textbook for Indonesian senior high school. Journal of English Language Studies, 6(1), 18–35. https://doi.org/10.30870/jels.v6i1.8898
Hartono, R. (2017). Pengantar ilmu menerjemah: Teori dan prakter penerjemahaan. Cipta Prima Nusantara. http://lib.unnes.ac.id/id/eprint/33732
Janan, D., Saruddin, A., Osman, Z., & Norzalina, M. N. (2021). Selection of Malay Language Reading Material Based on Readability Factors. Turkish Journal of Computer and Mathematics Education (TURCOMAT), 12(3), 497–502. https://doi.org/10.17762/turcomat.v12i3.755
Joh, J., & Plakans, L. (2017). Working memory in L2 reading comprehension: The influence of prior knowledge. System, 70(1), 107–120. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2017.07.007
Lu, Z. (2002). Readability in reading materials selection and coursebook design for college english in China. PQDT - UK & Ireland, 1, 1–311. https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/11160/
Meyer, B. J. F. (2003). Text Coherence and Readability. Topics in Language Disorders, 23(3), 204–224. https://doi.org/10.1097/00011363-200307000-00007
O’Dwyer, L. M., & Bernauer, J. A. (2016). Quantitative Research for the Qualitative Researcher. https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/quantitative-research-for-the-qualitative-researcher/book236699
Owu-Ewie, C. (2015). Readability of comprehension passages in Junior High School (JHS) English textbooks in Ghana. Ghana Journal of Linguistics, 3(2), 35. https://doi.org/10.4314/gjl.v3i2.3
Pamar, N. (2020). An analysis of English reading texts readability used for grade XI students of SMAN 1 Bukittinggi. Atlantis Press: In 7th International Conference on English Language and Teaching (ICOELT 2019), 411, 382–390. https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.200306.064
Taylor, Z. (2020). College Admissions for L2 Students: Comparing L1 and L2 Readability of Admissions Materials for U.S. Higher Education. Journal of College Access, 5(1), 54–67. https://ssrn.com/abstract=3521883
Tomlinson, B. (2011). Materials Development in Language Teaching (Second Edition). In Cambridge University Press. https://id.b-ok.asia/book/3341958/ff3d54
Toste, J. R., Didion, L., Peng, P., Filderman, M. J., & McClelland, A. M. (2020). A Meta-Analytic Review of the Relations Between Motivation and Reading Achievement for K–12 Students. Review of Educational Research, 90(3), 420–456. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654320919352
Ulusoy, M. (2006). Readability approaches: Implications for Turkey. International Education Journal, 7(3), 323–332. http://iej.com.au
Yunita, L. R., Suharsono, S., & Munir, A. (2017). Readability in classroom practice of report text as reading material of eleventh graders. Journal of English Language and Literature, 8(3), 673–689. https://doi.org/10.17722/jell.v8i3.338
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2023 PROJECT (Professional Journal of English Education)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
